Blogs from Curaçao, Central America Caribbean - page 2

8. - 22.7. Curaçao ist super! Tauchen, schnorcheln, baden und sünnelen soviel das Herz begehrt. Das Tauchen ist hier besonders einfach, an der ganzen Westküste der Insel befinden sich 20 bis 100 Meter vom Strand entfernt Riffe mit wunderbaren Korallengärten, bevölkert von unzähligen Fischen und Krebsen. Man mietet einfach die Ausrüstung, fährt mit dem Auto an einen Strand, baut dort das Equipment auf und schwimmt zum Riff raus. Ohne Guide, ohne Boot. Herrlich. Ansonsten geniessen wir das Spielen, Lesen und Faulenzen, und - vor allem Marco - auch das Kochen. Unsere Reise ist vorüber, wir hatten eine tolle Zeit mit vielen schönen Eindrücken und Erlebnissen. Wir sind dankbar, einmal mehr diese Möglichkeit gehabt zu haben. Und nun freuen wir uns auch auf die Rückkehr und das Wiedersehen mit allen Daheimgebliebenen. Tschüss, bis zum nächsten Mal!... read more

Carnival Sunshine arrived off Curaçao after 11:00 a.m. on the third day of the cruise. Curaçao, along with Aruba and Bonaire (the ABC islands), has been a Dutch possession since the 17th century. Despite their proximity, we found the ABC islands have little interaction with one another. There is no ferry service, for example, between them. The ship sailed at a leisurely pace along the 30 mile long island, docking at Willemstad at the scheduled time of 1:00 p.m. Rain threatened, but held off. I enjoyed seeing the changing landscape. Christoffelberg in the northern part of the island is the highest point on Curaçao at 1,220 feet (372 m). The coastline is dotted with small communities and resort developments leading down to Willemstad. There are also signs of industry. Like Aruba, Curaçao has oil refineries. The ... read more

PROFESSIONAL DIVE BUDDIES NAS Dive Shop I called the dive shop that once rented space at the Ritz, where I was staying. I explained that I was an underwater photographer and I would appreciate diving with other photographers, or with a personal Divemaster so I wouldn’t be holding up other divers while I took my photos, waiting for just the right composition. I like long slow dives so I can look in all the crevices and search out elusive sea creatures. I got just what I asked for. The next three days were like heaven. The divemasters, professional divers familiar with the local dive sites, gave assistance when asked, but otherwise were like my good diving buddies at home. We were in no hurry, we just took our time, looked at everything and came up when ... read more

CURACAO – NEW YEAR’S EVE No Room at the Inn Finding a hotel in Curacao proved difficult. I hadn’t wanted to travel on New Year’s Eve but that was the flight that was available. Time after time the hotels where I tried to book a room responded with the message, “no vacancies” for the dates I requested. Finally I left a request for a reservation and the hotel responded saying I would receive an email within twenty four hours. I crossed my fingers and boarded my plane. Disembarking in Curacao I immediately went to email. My reservation had been declined. It was already 5:30 p.m. and I searched and searched hotels, finally turning to Airbnb. There it was. A room. With taxi service from the airport. I talked to the proprietor and he warned me that ... read more

Day 135 Monday 27 July At sea southerly down the East coast of USA 29c cloudy some rain Breakfast then Zumba Gold and Zumba then Gail walked the deck and I put our washing together to go to the laundry. I went to a lecture on water which was quite interesting. Gail went to choir practice. When we had both finished we went to see "Maid in Manhattan" starring Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes which neither of us had seen right through before. Later we played Crib with Geoff and Margaret and sort of watched the Rugby League where the Cowboys thrashed Parramatta. After dinner we went to watch Diane Cousins a Welsh singer/comedienne we had seen twice on the way over. Same show entertaining but predictable. Day 136 Tuesday 28 July Charleston, South Carolina 31c ... read more